Second to Schreiber at the Dixie National Trial wal Lane Leavitt.
AMAINATC Observed Trials Championship - Round nine
Schreiber outduels Leavitt and Whaley for
Championship
By Gary Van Voorhis
MORGAN CITY , A L , SEPT. 4
Bernie Schreiber, fresh from a win in Texas
'two days prior and facing another must-w in
situation , clinched the AMA /NATC Observed
Trials Championship crown via a dazzling
performance in the Dixie
National. Schreiber, sponsored
by
Bu ltaco
Int ernat iona l,
blazed his way through t he rocky
22
l"dge d Terry Chene y for fo urth plan'
with Montesa mount ed Stit es taking
th e position 61 A m arks to 61 .6 ove r
Bulraco ride r Che n e y.
co u nt rysid e of northe rn Alabama 10
outpoint Bulraco's Lane Le avitt 28 .6
marks to 42 . Mont esa mounted
Marland Whaley placed th ird . five
points sh y of Leavin , Jack Stites bard.y
The c h a m p ion sh ip ch ase Koing into
the Huntsville Trials Club and South eastern Trials Riders Associat ion spon ·
sorcd final round was virtuall y d e ad loc ked between Schrr-iber. Leavitt and
Whaley. The trio had fin ished in that
o rd e r in T exas onl y t wo d ays ~...rore
Ie a ving a co m p le x va riet y a mong the
three in Alabam a 10 d e cid e rh e to p
rhree pla ces . The o n ly ce na in corn bination was that Schreiber, with o n ly
four rides to h is c redit (a rid e r's five
best rides co u nt to wa rd t he title) co u ld
afford no Ie ss th an a win if he want ed
the lid e ,
" 1 kn e w I h ad to do it and I did it ."
said a ve ry relax ed Schreiber afte r the
everu , .. It was a matter of who had rhe
best ride today. Luckil y, I d id . I'm
pl e ased . this is m y first c ha m p io n sh ip ."
The final cha m pio nsh ip standings
found Schreib..r edKinK Leavin by one
point . 7010 69 . with defending c ha m pion Whaley at 66 points.
" O ne po int. tha t 's a hard way to
lose "sa id L eav iu ;15 h e a nd Schreiber
reh ashed the t-vc nt a ft c rw ards . " Bu t it
m ak es a much b e tt e r st o rv doesn't it ? I
d id th e best I co u ld, I ·g u ess it j ust
wasn 't good enough this rime . 1"11 be
ba ck . The..seri es gl' ts beur-r a nd bert e r
each year.
Wha ley , hi s three y,'a r reign as
cha m p ion now . o ver , d idn't Slick
a ro u nd fo r t he pOSI ra ce c h a rte r . In stead he lo aded up and set his sig hts on
.home . ..S.... ya in Californi a ." he
shouted to Schreibc r and Leavitt as he
departe d the staging area in a cloud of
dust.
While the top three positions wr-re
t he ce n ter of the most interest . th e
founh and fifth rankings in th e final
sta ndi ngs were also up for grabs . Cur -
